It’s a core public safety issue: Researchers need access to agency data, but it can be difficult or impossible to come by. You can’t solve a problem you can’t measure. Model state legislation offers a framework for expanding access.
It’s tempting for governments to shortchange spending on things like training, infrastructure maintenance and disaster preparation. But not spending the money can cost a lot more in the long run.
In short, more clarity with less spectacle. Last year’s federal tax cuts won’t have much of an impact on state and local revenues, but tariff refund politics could be a fiscal wild card. And AI’s effects will be felt on several fronts.
Those just joining governing bodies shouldn’t just hang back and observe. They need to stay in touch with their constituents, work with colleagues who don’t share all their views, and commit themselves to high ethical standards.
Atlanta’s decision to reinvest in it and bring a full-scale program back on the air should be a national model. It’s especially needed in today’s radically reshaped media environment.
Homeowners' associations do plenty of beneficial things. But sometimes they go too far, testing the tension between individual and community rights and leading to states’ efforts to restrict their powers.
The scandals that ended the Minnesota governor’s bid for a third term reflect the kind of oversight failure that comes with one-party control of government. Above all, voters expect competent administration.
The Trump administration is holding federal grants hostage to its priorities.
Rather than acting as substitute police, guard medics could help save lives by backing up strained local emergency responders. It’s not unprecedented.
An onerous 1970 law remains an open invitation for lawsuits. And reforms should make it easier to build the kind of housing most Californians want.
They could act as official intervenors in rate-hike cases, bringing the power of their offices to bear.
States’ efforts to streamline government operations may sound like the federal model once led by Elon Musk, but when it comes to genuine government efficiency they’re getting a lot more done.
Maryland’s awareness campaign and Urban Institute research offer a blueprint state leaders can use to increase uptake, helping residents keep more of what they’ve earned.
With federal support diminishing, local governments are on the forefront. They have plenty of effective approaches to draw on to direct resources toward proven ideas — and away from ineffective ones.
A proposed new city in California demonstrates the benefits of packing more people and businesses into a small geographic area. Removing daunting roadblocks can open up vital experiments in city-building.
There was plenty of coverage, but it provided little perspective on politics and government or on the important relationships among the people who ran cities and states. Newer forms of journalism might be evolving into something better.
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